Jesus is Resurrected in Santa Rita, But Only Under Very Special Conditions
SAN ANGELO, TX Tuesday’s San Angelo City Council meeting had some surprising twists and turns as the body considered the right of Lifepoint Baptist Church (LBC) to rent its otherwise underutilized gymnasium to a commercial gymnastics training company called the Texas Tumbleweeds. The council threaded a camel through the eye of a needle and said the church’s commercial gymnastics ministry can stay, but only under very special conditions.
The issue demonstrated the tension between municipal zoning laws and the First Amendment and the freedom of religion. LBC was seeking a renewal of a special use exemption to rent its gym to an operational business even though the property is located on a lot that is zoned for residential use. A few nearby Santa Rita residents had sued the City, the church, and Texas Tumbleweeds over the original exemption granted in August 2019. During the present year’s renewal p
SAN ANGELO, TX Should a church in San Angelo be allowed to rent its unused gymnasium to faith-based children’s gymnastics training company when the church is situated inside an area zoned residential? This is what the San Angelo City Council will decide on Tuesday.
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SAN ANGELO Deep down, Herbert (H.R.) Wardlaw wants you to know he s genuinely a good person. The fact his lawsuit is against a group of children is beside the point. I have nothing against them, Wardlaw said during an interview with the Standard-Times. Wardlaw says he s battling to preserve the character of Santa Rita, one of San Angelo s oldest and most affluent neighborhoods.
In October 2019, Wardlaw joined with fellow residents to sue Texas Tumbleweeds Gymnastics, Lifepoint Baptist Church, and the City of San Angelo after it approved a special-use permit allowing the children s gymnastics organization to set up a commercial business at 802 Kenwood Drive, deep inside Santa Rita s posh, quiet community.
Kicking Jesus Out of Santa Rita
SAN ANGELO, TX “Good morning. My name is ‘Dave’ and I live in the 1600 block of South Monroe. Long time Santa Rita resident. And I’m sorry that we all have to be here for this foolishness because we’re just talking about kids,” said a man who only introduced himself as ‘Dave’ to the San Angelo Planning Commission in a presentation that harkened memories of a John Belushi Saturday Night Live skit. ‘Dave’s’ performance could have been Belushi, with perfect timing, perfect voice tone and inflection.
“We’re not talking about a chapter house for the Sons of Anarchy, okay? It’s just a bunch of people [going] there in minivans, dropping their kids off for gymnastics,” Dave said.